"You... would abandon Eternity?"
When the Raiden Shogun spoke of being freed from her mission, Ei’s expression was a sight to behold.
After all, she had written Eternity into the Shogun’s core.
She had even installed failsafes to ensure that, if one day she herself faltered, the Shogun would never betray that principle.
And yet, sohow... the Shogun had been altered?
"No! I still uphold Eternity. But no longer as my sole mission in life—rather, as the path I myself must pursue."
A missionless pursuit, one that could even defy the orders of her own creator.
For a Shogun with heightened intelligence, it was an absurd loophole.
The irony wasn’t lost on her.
Did her own creation now doubt whether she understood Eternity?
Ei, foolish Ei—what right did she have to lecture her puppet on the aning of Eternity?
"I will no longer obey your commands, nor follow after that false Eternity! The true Eternity... is about to descend upon Inazuma!"
Ei’s eyes went wide, her tiny face blank with shock.
False Eternity? True Eternity?
Since when had there been two kinds?
"Ahem. Then tell us, Shogun—what Eternity do you speak of?"
Yae Miko’s voice was cautious.
The puppet had always been rigid to a fault, but this slled of tampering.
Had that white-haired man slipped sothing into her programming?
The Shogun stretched out her hand.
In an instant, she snatched up an ornate chess piece.
"Even if the flesh perishes, the soul may endure.
No erosion, no war, no death.
Inazuma shall beco a perfect nation, dwelling within a dream."
With those words, she offered her Gnosis to Su Ran.
It carried the weight of a vow, almost like a child presenting herself for adoption.
"...I don’t get it."
Ei’s large doll-eyes blinked up at Su Ran, full of suspicion.
This man was dangerous.
Too strong.
Strong enough to seize control of the Shogun.
Yet... he also seed to understand Eternity.
Anyone who might disrupt Eternity must be eliminated.
Su Ran was no exception.
But if his path aligned with hers— then there was no problem.
"I intend to gather every soul upon Inazuman soil and place them into a single dream."
Su Ran’s plan was simple in words, outrageous in scope.
A mirror of Fontaine’s Hotel of Dreams.
Not a perfect copy, of course—there would be difficulties.
But with ti? Entirely possible.
The Gnosis was not just a keepsake of the Archons.
It held the power to forge divinity.
More than enough to serve as the heart of a dream.
"Without the burden of flesh, people would no longer die.
Existing outside of reality, their souls would not be eroded by Celestia.
A realm without death, without loss—would that not be a truly eternal nation?"
He gathered the tiny Ei into his arms.
She didn’t resist.
On the contrary—her heart was pounding with exhilaration.
This is it. If this is not Eternity... what else could be?
No death.
No partings.
Everything is preserved forever.
Was Su Ran not a ssenger from the heavens, sent to grant her dearest wish?
The idea was fantastical.
Yet the more she thought, the more it thrilled her.
After all, had she not already pursued sothing similar herself— shedding her body, dwelling as pure consciousness, cut off from reality?
"This... this kind of Eternity..."
Ayaka, who had finally begun to relax, tensed up once more.
To abandon reality, to take refuge in illusion— could that really be called Eternity?
Why did it feel even more terrifying than the Vision Hunt Decree or the Sakoku Decree?
She was not alone.
Yae Miko, too, was unsettled.
To forsake the real for a dream?
Not to her taste.
Reality was far too fun to throw away.
"Very well! I will aid you!"
Ei, however, embraced it at once.
To her ears, Su Ran’s vision was the true Eternity she had sought all along.
One she had lacked the strength, or the imagination, to realize.
If Su Ran could achieve it— then she would be his staunchest supporter.
Her sudden defection surprised no one more than Yae Miko and Ayaka.
"..."
They exchanged a look.
This was worse.
Far worse than any decree before.
Three godlike beings, united under one cause.
If they resisted...
For a mont, even Yae Miko’s shrewd mind wavered.
If you can’t beat them... perhaps join them?
"I confess, I’m starting to look forward to how this plays out," she murmured.
But Su Ran’s true ambition was not to build so paradise resort like Fontaine’s dream-hotel.
He knew full well there would be rebels.
Yae Miko, no matter how calm she looked, would surely oppose him.
And Ayaka’s worried little face gave her away completely.
He didn’t mind.
In fact, he welcod it.
What he wanted most was to watch the rebels struggle— to see how they would resist, how they would face down gods, how they would shatter Inazuma’s dream.
And for that... they would need a leader.
A protagonist.
The Traveler.
Only problem?
That poor soul was still stuck in Mondstadt, wrestling with a dragon.
Was it Aether, or Lumine, this ti?
He hoped it was Lumine.
"Abyss Order, do a favor, won’t you? Twist fate a little, and give the Princess instead of the Prince."
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